Overview of Chiller Compressors Course No: M04-027 Credit: 4 PDH A. Bhatia Continuing Education and Development, Inc. 22 Stonewall Court Woodcliff Lake, NJ 07677 P: (877) 322-5800
[email protected] OVERVIEW OF CHILLER COMPRESSORS Overview In HVAC industry, the refrigeration machine that produces chilled water is referred to as a “Chiller”. A chiller package operates either on the principles of vapor compression or vapor absorption. The vapor compression system uses mechanical energy in the form of electric motor to drive the cooling cycle whereas absorption chillers use heat to drive the process. The vapor compression chiller system, which is far more prominent in commercial buildings, consists of four major components: the compressor, evaporator, condenser and expansion device all packaged as a single unit. The classification of vapor compression chiller packages is generally by the type of compressor: centrifugal, reciprocating, and screw being the major ones. Chillers are the largest consumer of energy in a commercial building and it is therefore important to understand the relative benefits and limitations of various types in order to make the right economic decisions in chiller installation and operation. This course will talk about the type of compressor used in the water cooled chiller. The course is divided into 3 parts: Part - I: Types of Chiller Compressors Part – II: Comparison of Chiller Compressors Part –III: Economic Evaluation of Chiller Systems PART I - TYPES OF CHILLER COMPRESSORS Most cooling systems, from residential air conditioners to large commercial and industrial chillers, employ the refrigeration process known as the vapor compression cycle. At the heart of the vapor compression cycle is the mechanical compressor.